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What prompted you to start?
Three weeks before my 41st birthday, I finally scheduled my 40-year-old physical exam. I had not had a physical in over 20 years. The doctor was blunt: I was 286 pounds, morbidly obese for my 5’6” height, and prediabetic. I needed to move. I started walking. After walking steady for nine months and dieting, I was on vacation far from home. Nobody knew me. I saw people running on the path I was walking on. I just followed them and started running.

How often do you run?
Five to seven days a week. If I don’t run, I walk uphill on a treadmill to get my calorie burn. I do something every day, though.

What is your routine?
I usually hit the gym 45 minutes every morning. Get some miles in. I like to have 10,000 steps in by the time I set foot in the office. At night I try to get another 30 minutes in. I used to let my smart watch rule my step count each day but now I set a weekly goal of 150,000 steps instead of a daily goal.

Do you race? If so, how often, and what kind of races?
I ran my first marathon in October of 2014. This past weekend, on June 11, I ran my 25th marathon. I’ve run big ones (New York City, Chicago, Marine Corps) and great small ones (Hambletonian). I enjoy them all. I have a couple of sub 4 times but mostly around 4:15. I’ve also run one with my wife (her first) at Disney, and a few with my cousin. I also run shorter races: 5Ks, 10Ks, and halfs, but I enjoy the marathon experience.

Do you engage in other sports or activities? If so, what and how often?
I do some biking and hiking, but not enough.

What’s the most rewarding part of running for you?
Everyday I clear my mind of problems and think of joys when I am running. As someone once said, if you can’t solve a problem after a four-hour run, you probably won’t solve it. Moreover, going from morbidly obese to running 25 marathons in less than four years is its own reward. I can play with my kids, fit on the rides at the amusement parks, not need an extender seat belt on an airplane, buy clothes off the rack. These are all things most people take for granted that I now get to experience.

Please describe your weight loss journey, including your before and after weights.
At my heaviest, I was 286 pounds. Right now I’m 145. My wife and kids put up with a lot of exercise on my part. My doctor and nutritionist were key to my success as well. My doctor scared the heck out of me and probably saved my life with that first speech. I didn’t want diabetes due to something I could entirely control. I didn’t want to markedly increase my chances of dying young with a heart attack.

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What is the secret to your weight loss success?
It’s diet AND exercise - not one or the other. Nothing more. Nothing less.

How do you stay motivated?
I see my wife and kids. I want to be around for them. I see the old pictures of me. I don’t want to be that person. I go in for regular health checkups. That same scale I stepped on years ago is there and is still my nemesis. Importantly, I actually like exercising. I like it a lot. When you do something you like, it’s not work.

Do you have any favorite motivational quotes?
“One Pound at a Time.”
“Morbidly obese to marathon runner” —my blog, which I don’t update nearly enough.
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”
“You can feel sore tomorrow or you can feel sorry tomorrow. You choose.”

What are your current short and long-term goals?
I would like to do an Ironman spring 2018 while I am still 45. I also want to create my own marathon on July 16 2022 and make it my 50th marathon for my 50th birthday. It’s a long-term goal, and those are important to have.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
It’s Global Running Day as I write this. I hope you’re out running!

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